Black Mass will chronicle the story of infamous Boston crime figure Whitey Bulger, who masterminded a violent gang in Boston while also reportedly turning federal informant to take down rivals. It seemed to be working out well – particularly with corrupt FBI agent John Connolly (Edgerton, replacing a rumoured Tom Hardy) helping to smooth things – but when the Bureau began making arrests, agents double crossed Bulger and prosecuted him.

Bulger fled in 1994 and was captured in 2011 in California. While Variety’s story doesn’t specify which of his two brothers Pearce will play, we’d guess at Senator William ”Billy” Bulger, a career politician who claimed when questioned that he wasn’t aware of the extent of his older sibling’s criminal activities.

Cooper has rewritten Mark Mallouk’s script, itself adapted from Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill’s book Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob. And though no date is specified, it appears the film will start shooting later this year.

Pearce was last seen in Iron Man 3 and Drake Doremus’s Breathe In. He has drama Hateship Loveship and David Michôd’s post-apocalyptic thriller The Rover due out this year.

...they pull me back in.
As a proper Bostonian, I fully intended to wait for Ben Affleck's version of events, but Scott Cooper's version is at least going to be interesting to watch (whether in a good or bad way remains to be seen), given the casting. Johnny Depp as Bulger is going to have to work to get me to buy, but Joel Edgerton and Guy Pearce (as Billy Bulger? Really?) are true incentives. More